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I have a 10 foot square pergola with three sides covered with trellis. We have no shade so wished to grow the Japanese hops to cover the three sides quickly. What spacing do I need to seed, or do you suggest other types of hops. Should the Japanese hops be started indoors? We live in Perth, Ontario.

Japanese hops is an annual while the standard beer hops are hardy perennials, hardy down to zone 3 which includes eastern Ontario where Perth is located.

The Japanese variety (Humulus japonicus) is easy to grow from seeds. It should be started indoors in April in peat pots or PotMaker paper pots.

Beer hops (Humulus lupulus) can be grown from seeds, but they are much harder to germinate, and if you have any interest in making beer, the seed grown type is not as well suited for beer making as the named cultivars such as ‘Hallertauer’ for which no seeds are available, only plant starts.